SAT Reading & Writing · Command of Evidence (textual)
The classic story of the peppered moth describes dark-colored moths becoming more common in polluted regions of Britain, where soot…
The classic story of the peppered moth describes dark-colored moths becoming more common in polluted regions of Britain, where soot darkened tree bark, and then declining again as pollution was later reduced. A textbook presents this case as a simple, fully settled example requiring no further nuance. Which finding would most directly complicate the textbook's presentation?
Answer and explanation
Answer: C: Later research identified additional complicating factors, including regional variation in moth frequency and questions about exactly where and how the moths rest in the wild, showing the mechanism…
The textbook's error is presenting a case as simple and fully settled, and C directly supplies the complicating research the textbook's simplified version leaves out, without denying the core story is broadly correct. A actually supports the basic camouflage mechanism, consistent with the textbook's framing instead of a challenge to it. B and D restate facts already given in the setup without adding complicating detail.
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